Happy ending
by Merilsell
Summary: Prompt of/for the Saiunkoku FF-community. This time: Ryuuki...a happy ending. Its just a short Ryuuki-centric ficlet and maybe not what it seems to be at first sight...


_A/N: Prompt of/for the Saiunkoku FF-community. The battlefic might be over now but that doesn´t stop me from taking those prompts as an inspiration for a story :D So this time __Ryuuki... a happy ending. Its just a short, fast written one but well have fun anyway. BTW I´m ignoring the RyuukiXShuurei novel plotline once again and I´ll so go to hell for that. Oh well the joy of freedom in a FF. Don´t sue me XD_

_**Beware grammar pedants:** Story hasn´t seen a beta-reader yet, so since english is my second language it might contain slight mistakes. Enjoy nonetheless.  
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_**Disclaimer:** As always I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari and sadly never will. _

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_**Happy ending**

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The warm sun shone brightly over the palace garden, where she was waiting, nervously wandering up and down the area between the imperial koi pond and the cherry trees. The birds were chirping their delightful song up in the trees, the air which was gusting over her bear a heavy scent of flowers and grass, announcing the spring with every breeze anew. It would have been a perfect, peaceful day to enjoy and if her nerves hadn't been so wrecked she may have noticed it all.

She sighed heavily, counting the minutes she was already waiting there, the number of steps she had made while wandering around, only to be able to distract her mind and herself from panicking. She looked up to the trees, where her walking circle once again has led her to. The pinkish flowers of the cherry tree were swaying up and down with the wind and a few petals were dancing through the air. It was a wonderful sight to ease a stressful mind, but it rather reminded her more and more on the reason why she came here,making her more nervous.

The cherry blossom had begun to flower and thus was it time for a decision, a decision she couldn´t run away from any longer. A decision she never would have thought of being possible. She shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to reassure her wildly palpitating heart but failed doing so. _If only it would be over already, if only..._

„Shuurei!", her heart set out for a split second as she heard him call her name. She took a deep breath before turning around and looked right to his face. Much to her surprise he had approached that fast to her, like a swiftly and impatient child. „Ryuuki", his name rolled over her tongue and came out much more trembling as she wanted.

He looked right into her face and her flushed cheeks tempted him to reach out for them, for a gentle caress with his fingertips. The multifarious odor of flowers in the air were suddenly mixed up with the very own sweet scent of her presence, making it harder to breathe for him. He has been looking forward to see her, eagerly awaited the moment to look into her lovely face again, yet was he appalled of what could happen next. He knew the meaning of this meeting too well, were it had been his words, his idea to make this agreement months ago.

**Until the cherry blossom bloom...**

„Ryuuki", the way she uttered his name send a shiver down his spine and yet put him out of his thoughts.

„Err,,well you know why I asked you to come here, right?", Shuurei asked quietly, almost shy.

„Yes, indeed, w-we know the purpose of this meeting and while we are glad to see you, we are also afraid of what Shuurei will say", he confessed and shifted nervously aside her. His gaze shortly admired her view, as if he wanted to burn her picture in his mind before hearing her answer, before he probably wouldn´t see her again. Ryuuki´s eyes wandered on, down to her tiny hands, seeing holding something in it. „What is this?" Ryuuki asked, pointing to her hands.

Shuurei felt awkward „Well this...this is ...umm..a ..letter...-obviously-...for y-you". She sighed on her sudden disability to form a coherent sentence and gulped hard to swallow the nervousness, before she continued. „Look I´m not really good in this, so please just take and read it", with those words she handed him the letter but Ryuuki hesitated. He just stared at the letter, his hands not reaching out for it.

„Goddammit, Ryuuki TAKE IT NOW!", Shuurei growled all the sudden, annoyed of standing before him like an idiot.

Ryuuki winced shortly on her sudden shift of mood, but it let him immediately obeying to her wish. It was typical for Shuurei to rather write it down than to speak openly about her decision, her feelings and reasons, yet was he surprised. But now there was no turning back, no excuses possible. He had to face the truth, this was the reason why he had hesitated to take the letter out of her hands.

Shuurei nearly shoved the letter into his hands and turned away, well aware of the commotion, the turmoil her written words would cause. Despite her intension to look away she found herself ogling over her shoulder to watch him, while he was reading it. When being in private with him, where he could put down the starry mask of an emperor, his face always had been an open book for her. He always showed his feelings, his emotions openly to her, wearing it right onto his face. This time was no exception in that. Shuurei saw his expression switching from doubt to surprise over to an expression she never saw in that form in his face before.

_Bliss._

Ryuuki couldn´t believe the words he was reading there, he read it once, ...twice and still it seemed ...unreal to him. Shuurei´s letter was fortunately neither an explanation why she couldn´t be with him, nor a love note yet it said all to him.

_It was a letter of resignation._

Overwhelmed by his feelings he didn´t noticed his moves first, how he reached out for her, how he took Shuurei, _his _Shuurei into his arms for an crushing embrace.

„Shuurei,Shuurei, Shuurei", he repeatedly called out for her, yearned for her closeness, while tears began to roll over his face. He felt her close, the alluring warmth of her body surrounding him and all of his senses. After the first shock of him storming to her had abated, he felt her hugging him back.

_For the first time after years._

Although he didn´t want to this embrace ever to end, there were too many burning questions longing to come out. So he released her a bit to look her into her eyes. „How...why, I don´t understand...you never?!" Ryuuki asked all at once, his raging emotions left him unable to form a complete sentence.

Shuurei smiled genuinely to him and tenderly brushed over his cheek to wipe his tears away. „I guess we have enough time to discuss that matter later. First thing....err.. first." She blushed as she fully stretched her tiny body up to him, to reach his lips...

_...and kissed him._

Ryuuki´s senses were tingling, his whole body started to feel light in the utter state of bliss he felt in that moment. _Her _lips on his, so soft, so entrancing, soo....

„Your majesty???"

_….so sweet._

„Your majesty?"

A womanly voice was calling him, but why should Shuurei calling him, let alone use_ his title_ while they were _kissing_?

„Sh-Shuurei?", he uttered confused.

„No, unfortunately not. Are you now awake, your highness?", the voice asked again, a little annoyed.

_Huh? If its not Shuurei..then what....? _Ryuuki thought muzzy and suddenly his eyes flew open....just to find himself lying face-down in his huge bed, hugging the pillow tightly. He growled out loud, a sound of pure desperation and disappointment.

_It had been just a dream. _

It felt so real, it was so lively, yet it hadn´t been the reality, the truth. Ryuuki felt utterly frustrated on this assurance. As he sat up in his bed he looked straight into the face of Jyuusan-hime, his lady in waiting. The face of hers which resembled Shuurei´s so much but yet wasn´t her and never would.

„Get out", Ryuuki bellowed grumpy to her. The impact of it startled Jyuusan-hime, because this was so unlike his usual behavior.

„I-I´m sorry that I had to disturb his majesty in his pleasant dreams, but you asked me yesterday to wake you up that early due to today´s court proceedings. That is what his majesty said to me.... so your highness, you better get ready soon and dream on later.", she grinned and with those words Jyuusan-hime left his private rooms again,closing the door behind her.

He was alone again. Ryuuki sighed dolefully, a dream that was all it was. Like always and forever. A dream he was hunting for years now and began to doubt he would ever able to reach. A dream he normally wasn´t allowed to have, yet this was what kept him going through repetitive, lonely days in the palace.

He got up to get dressed for another endless day in court and while his thoughts were still heavy and distressed , wandered his gaze out of the window to the cherry trees. The branches of it were swaying back and forth in the wind but they were bare, without any buds on it. Ryuuki took a deep breath and found a bit comfort in this view, because the bare branches indicated him that there still was time left. Time to hope. Time to let this little piece of happiness he wished for and yet always had to defer for the sake of his duty, come true. It wouldn´t be easy, probably impossible for him to achieve it. But as long there was still time left, he wouldn´t give up on his foolish dream, on Shuurei.

For a happy ending. Just like in his dream last night.

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_A/N: I had to build this little twist in, otherwise it would have been boring. Also its more Saiunkoku-like this way too. Hope you liked it either way, if so feed me with yummy reviews. As an author I´m always starving for it. Thankies for feeding me ;)_**  
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